BERLIN (Reuters) – The Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) launched in-depth exploratory talks to form a coalition with two smaller parties on Monday and expressed confidence that the three will form a new government this year in the wake of an inconclusive national election.
The center-left SPD narrowly beat the Tories, whose Chancellor Angela Merkel has ruled since 2005 and is on the way out, in the Sept. 26 vote, but without getting a clear majority.
The SPD is trying to form a coalition with the Greens and the pro-business Liberal Democratic Party (FDP), which came in third and fourth in the vote.
SPD Vice President Kevin Kuehnert was optimistic about a coalition “traffic light”, in reference to the respective colors of the three acronyms, still in 2021.
“I’m pretty firmly assuming this will happen,” he told broadcaster ARD. “The conversations start well, with a lot of confidence.”
Unlike many other European countries where the president or monarch invites parties to talk to form a government, in Germany it is up to the acronyms themselves to decide who should ally with whom.
His decisions will determine Germany’s political future after 16 years with Merkel at the helm, the appetite to prepare Europe’s biggest economy for the digital age and the size of the willingness to interact with allies on global issues.
The FDP doesn’t want to raise taxes, which creates a rift with the Greens and the SPD, but the two smaller legends struggled to find consensus and a basis to work together in initial bilateral talks.
See too
+ Until 2019, there were more people in prisons than on the Brazilian stock exchange
+ Aloe gel in the drink: see the benefits
+ Lemon-squeezing trick becomes a craze on social media
+ Chef playmate creates aphrodisiac recipe for Orgasm Day
+ Mercedes-Benz Sprinter wins motorhome version
+ Anorexia, an eating disorder that can lead to death
+ US agency warns: never wash raw chicken meat
+ Yasmin Brunet breaks the silence
+ Shark is captured in MA with the remains of youngsters missing in the stomach
+ See how much it costs to eat at the MasterChef judges’ restaurants
+ Auction of cars and motorcycles from Kombi to Nissan Frontier 0km